GrrlScientist + Climate change | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist+scienceofclimatechange
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 31 Mar 2015 21:01:03 GMT2015-03-31T21:01:03Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
How photosynthesis inspires solar power research | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/12/sustainability
<p>Plants capture sunlight and turn it into starch. Scientists are now adapting the photosynthetic process to improve the way we harness solar energy</p><p>The impacts that people have upon the global environment has been a concern to scientists for more than 100 years. These impacts are due, in large part, to the fuels we use. To reduce environmental damage, people must develop and use alternative fuel sources.</p><p>“The one source of energy that is abundant across the developed and the developing world is the sun’s energy”, says chemist Robin Perutz, a professor at the <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> and Fellow of the <a href="https://royalsociety.org/">Royal Society</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/12/sustainability">Continue reading...</a>ScienceBiologyChemistryMaterials scienceNanotechnologyClimate changeClimate changeSolar powerEnvironmentEnergyRenewable energyTechnologySciencePlantsThu, 12 Mar 2015 13:01:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/12/sustainabilityPhotograph: Image Source / Alamy/AlamySolar power streams through the canopy of a traditional solar panel.Photograph: Image Source / Alamy/AlamySolar power streams through the canopy of a traditional solar panel.GrrlScientist2015-03-12T13:01:05ZThe Human Epoch: when did it start? | @BobOHara & @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/the-human-epoch-when-did-it-start
<p>A new paper investigates when humans started screwing up the environment, and uses this as the symbol for the beginning of a new geologic age: the Anthropocene, or the Age of Humans.</p><p>Humans, and scientists in particular, love classifying things. Biologists devised the Linnean system for stuffing species into neat boxes, and a Red List to classify species according to whether we’re killing them off (and to tabulate how we’re doing that). Geologists worked out the passage of time on Earth into distinct ages: Cambrian, Cretaceous, Jurassic, etc. So it’s probably not a surprise that during the last few years, the idea has been catching on that humans are now having such a big impact on the Earth that we should classify modern times as a new epoch: the Anthropocene. But when did the Anthropocene begin? A new paper in <em>Nature</em> looks at some of the evidence, and concludes that we should officially make 1610 the date. </p><p>When geologists classify Earth’s periods into ages, they also have to decide where the boundaries lie. Basically, consecutive time periods should be different enough to be distinguishable, perhaps because an entire group of species -- such as the dinosaurs -- were present in the earlier period but either partly or totally disappeared after the boundary. </p><p>Besides permanently and dramatically altering the diet of almost all of humanity, the arrival of Europeans in the Americas also led to a large decline in human numbers. Regional population estimates sum to a total of 54 million people in the Americas in 1492, with recent population modelling estimates of 61 million people. Numbers rapidly declined to a minimum of about 6 million people by 1650 via exposure to diseases carried by Europeans, plus war, enslavement and famine. The accompanying near-cessation of farming and reduction in fire use resulted in the regeneration of over 50 million hectares of forest, woody savanna and grassland with a carbon uptake by vegetation and soils estimated at 5–40 Pg within around 100 years. The approximate magnitude and timing of carbon sequestration suggest that this event significantly contributed to the observed decline in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> of 7–10 p.p.m. (1 p.p.m. CO<sub>2</sub> = 2.1 Pg of carbon) between 1570 and 1620 documented in two high-resolution Antarctic ice core records. [...] This dip in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> is the most prominent feature, in terms of both rate of change and magnitude, in pre-industrial atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> records over the past 2,000 years. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/the-human-epoch-when-did-it-start">Continue reading...</a>ScienceAnthropologyGeologyBiologyEvolutionAgricultureClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentWed, 11 Mar 2015 21:04:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/the-human-epoch-when-did-it-startPhotograph: CorbisNuclear Explosion over Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands on March 26, 1954.Photograph: CorbisNuclear Explosion over Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands on March 26, 1954.Bob O'HaraGrrlScientist2015-03-11T21:04:01ZScience, climate change and controversy | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/science-climate-and-controversy
<p>It’s inevitable: as science progresses, controversy happens. But sometimes, the public sees controversy where none exists. How to remedy that?</p><p>“Science is often thought of as simply a collection of facts which has been handed down to us by some great authority in the past”, says meteorologist Paul Williams, a Royal Society <a href="https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/university-research/">university research fellow</a> at the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a>.</p><p>“But of course, the reality is a lot more complicated than that.”</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/science-climate-and-controversy">Continue reading...</a>SciencePeer review and scientific publishingRoyal SocietyHistory of scienceControversiesBiologyEvolutionClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentDarwinWed, 11 Mar 2015 12:39:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/mar/11/science-climate-and-controversyPhotograph: Richard Crowest/Wikimedia (CC BY 3.0)The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, Highland Region, Scotland, highlighted by recent snowfall.Photograph: Richard Crowest/Wikimedia (CC BY 3.0)The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, Highland Region, Scotland, highlighted by recent snowfall.GrrlScientist2015-03-11T12:39:49ZThe best science books of 2014: Biology | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/dec/17/the-best-science-books-of-2014-biological-sciences
<p>Today, I share a list of what I consider to be the best popular biological sciences books of the year, hoping that you’ll find lots of interesting and unusual ideas for all the biology buffs on your holiday gift-giving list!</p><p>Continuing on with the theme I started recently, I am naming some of the popular science books in the biological sciences that I think are the best of 2014. The biological sciences are an even larger genre and more difficult-to-define than is nature writing, but it includes evolution, genetics, zoology, animal behaviour, botany, conservation, ecology and the environment. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/dec/17/the-best-science-books-of-2014-biological-sciences">Continue reading...</a>ScienceScience and natureBooksBiologyEvolutionGeneticsClimate changeClimate changeConservationScienceCultureWed, 17 Dec 2014 17:24:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/dec/17/the-best-science-books-of-2014-biological-sciencesPhotograph: AlamyStudent assumes the most painful and unlikely position known to humanoids, just to study some biology.Photograph: AlamyStudent assumes the most painful and unlikely position known to humanoids, just to study some biology.GrrlScientist2014-12-17T17:24:40ZNew Books Party: books received this week | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/may/23/books-tambora-volcano-climate-philosophy-history
What good is a weekend without a good book to read? Take a look at these books -- hot off the presses -- that you may enjoy!<p>Below the jump, I mention the books that I received recently. They are gifts, review copies that arrived in the mail, or books that I purchased. These are the books that I may review in more depth later, either here or in print somewhere in the world. </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/may/23/books-tambora-volcano-climate-philosophy-history">Continue reading...</a>ScienceBooksClimate changeClimate changeVolcanoesPhilosophyScience and natureFri, 23 May 2014 13:44:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/may/23/books-tambora-volcano-climate-philosophy-historyGrrlScientist2014-05-23T13:44:27ZWoolly mammoth extinction due to warming climate | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/sep/11/woolly-mammoth-extinction-warming-climate
In this scientific whodunnit, the latest research points a finger squarely at changing climate as the main culprit leading to the extinction of the woolly mammoth.<p><span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7744366556_3eca559da8_m.jpg" width="92" height="103" style="border:0;" /></span> Why did woolly mammoths go extinct? Did climate change do them in? Or did humans eat them into extinction? Or did a meteorite cause their demise? Or disease? Or ... ? </p><p>A team of British and Swedish scientists just published a new study indicating that changing climate -- not humans -- played a major role in the extinction of the woolly mammoth, <em>Mammuthus primigenius</em>. Additionally, the team's analysis of ancient DNA revealed that Eurasia was colonised by woolly mammoths that crossed the Bering Land Bridge from North America around 66,000 years ago. They also identified a previously unknown and genetically distinct population of mammoths that lived in Eurasia before they were replaced by an influx of Siberian mammoths approximately 33,000 years ago. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/sep/11/woolly-mammoth-extinction-warming-climate">Continue reading...</a>ScienceEnvironmentClimate changeSea levelEvolutionZoologyGeneticsWed, 11 Sep 2013 15:41:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/sep/11/woolly-mammoth-extinction-warming-climateGrrlScientist2013-09-11T15:41:14ZHot and bothered: Climate warming predicted to increase violent conflicts | @BobOHara &amp; @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/aug/02/climate-change-global-warming-violence-conflict
A hot-off-the-presses SCIENCE study analyses historic and modern data gathered from around the world and finds a link between global warming and increased human violence<p><span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7744366556_3eca559da8_m.jpg" width="92" height="103" style="border:0;" /></span> As much of Europe and America swelter under the effects of unusually warm temperatures this summer, it may be cold comfort to learn that climate change affects more than the weather; it also influences our behaviour. A hot-off-the-presses study finds that as global temperatures increase, so does violent human behaviour. Further, thanks to climate change and extremes in rainfall, this study predicts that conflicts may increase between now and 2050. </p><p></p><p>We do not consider studies that are purely cross sectional, i.e. studies that only compare rates of conflict across different locations and that attribute differences in average levels of conflict to average climatic conditions. There are many ways in which populations differ from one another (culture, history, etc.), many of them unobserved, and these &quot;omitted variables&quot; are likely to confound these analyses. … For example, a cross-sectional study might compare average rates of civil conflict in Norway and Nigeria, attributing observed differences to the different climate of these countries – despite the fact that there are clearly many other relevant ways in which these countries differ.</p><p>This problem occurs when researchers control for variables that are themselves affected by climate variation, causing either (i) the signal in the climate variable of interest to be inappropriately absorbed by the &quot;control&quot; variable, or (ii) the estimate to be biased because populations differ in unobserved ways that become artificially correlated with climate when the &quot;control&quot; variable is included. … The difficulty in this setting is that climatic variables affect many of the socioeconomic factors commonly included as control variables - things like crop production, infant mortality, population (via migration or mortality), and even political regime type.</p><p>This … criteria [<em>sic</em>] uses an admittedly arbitrary threshold, and other threshold selections would be justifiable. However, we contend this threshold is relatively conservative since most policy makers or citizens would be concerned by effects well below 10%/σ. For instance, since random variation in a normally distributed climate variable lies in a 4σ range for 95% of its realizations, even a 3%/σ effect size would generate variation in conflict of 12% of its mean, which is probably important to those individuals experiencing these shifts.</p><p>To summarize the evidence that each statistical study provides while also taking into account its precision, we separately consider three questions for each study in Table 1 [<em>Grrlscientist Note: these data not shown here</em>]: (1) Is the estimated average effect of climate on conflict quantitatively &quot;large&quot; in magnitude ... , regardless of its uncertainty? (2) Is the reported effect large enough and estimated with sufficient precision that the study can reject the null hypothesis of &quot;no relationship&quot; at the 5% level? (3) If the study cannot reject the hypothesis of &quot;no relationship,&quot; can it reject the hypothesis that the relationship is quantitatively large? In the literature, often only question 2 is evaluated in any single analysis. Yet it is important to consider the magnitude of climate influence (question 1) separately from its statistical precision because the magnitude of these effects tell us something about the potential importance of climate as a factor that may influence conflict, so long as we are mindful that evidence is weaker if a study's results are less certain. In cases where the estimated effect is smaller in magnitude and not statistically different than zero, it is important to consider whether a study provides strong evidence of zero association – i.e. the study rejects the hypothesis that an effect is large in magnitude (question 3) – or relatively weak evidence because the estimated confidence interval spans large effects as well as spanning zero effect.</p><p>The magnitude of climate's influence is substantial: for each 1 standard deviation (1σ) change in climate towards warmer temperatures or more extreme rainfall, median estimates indicate that the frequency of interpersonal violence rises 4% and the frequency of intergroup conflict rises 14%.</p><p>[M]any analyses are not explicitly focused on the direct effect of climate on conflict but instead use climatic variations instrumentally or account for it as an ancillary covariate in their analysis while trying to study a different research question – indicating that these authors have little professional stake in the sign, magnitude or sta[s]tical significance of the climatic effects they are presenting.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/aug/02/climate-change-global-warming-violence-conflict">Continue reading...</a>ScienceEnvironmentClimate changeClimate changeFri, 02 Aug 2013 15:36:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2013/aug/02/climate-change-global-warming-violence-conflictBob O'Hara &amp; GrrlScientist2013-08-02T15:36:22ZInvasive species provide important lessons for surviving climate change | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/aug/22/2
Species at the opposite ends of the lifespan/brood value spectrum will be most likely to survive climate change<p><span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.researchblogging.org"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7744366556_3eca559da8_t.jpg" width="89" height="100" style="border:0;" /></a></span>They're everywhere: Burmese pythons, tree rats, kudzu, cockroaches, zebra mussels, lantana, European starlings, purple loosestrife, house sparrows, house mice, house cats -- even viruses, such as West Nile Virus and HIV. These exotics are some of the many species that have managed to gain a foothold in a new area they've never before lived in, and to establish themselves under circumstances they've never before experienced -- often because humans (also an invasive species) have put them there. Some introduced invasives, like brown tree snakes and common brown rats, have decimated the fauna of entire islands. Others, like Chinese mitten crabs, are important to human economies. </p><p>Although plenty of plants and animals have successfully invaded an area that is new to them, at least as many invasion events are unsuccessful. But since species evolve to fill niches in their local habitat, how does a species adapt so effectively to a habitat it's never before experienced, so much so that it becomes a local pest? Is there a special quality that allows a species to become a successful invasive? </p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/aug/22/2">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeZoologyPlantsBiologyEvolutionScienceInvasive speciesClimate changeEnvironmentWed, 22 Aug 2012 08:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/aug/22/2Robin Loznak/APPoetic image ... a murmuration of starlings. Photograph: Robin Loznak/APGrrlScientist2012-08-22T08:30:00ZTrees, grass and gas: the battle for dominance | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/jun/27/trees-grass-carbon-dioxide
A new study shows that increasing carbon dioxide levels favour trees over grass, suggesting that large regions of Africa's savannas may be forests by the end of this century<p><span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><a href="http://researchblogging.org/news/?p=3397"><img src="http://www.researchblogging.org/public/citation_icons/rb_editors-selection.png" style="border:0;" /></a></span>The African savannas appear peaceful but beneath the wings of birds and the hooves of mammals, a millennia-long battle is being fought. This struggle determines whether vast regions of the tropics and subtropics are covered in grasslands, savannas or forests. But a new study shows that rising concentrations of CO<sub>2</sub> are shifting the odds to favour trees over grasses, suggesting that large regions of Africa's savannas may be forests by the end of this century. </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/jun/27/trees-grass-carbon-dioxide">Continue reading...</a>Climate changePlantsScienceEnvironmentClimate changeWed, 27 Jun 2012 20:38:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/jun/27/trees-grass-carbon-dioxideAlamyGrrlScientist2012-06-27T20:38:00ZNew Books Party: books received this week | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/may/11/2
This week I tell you about "The Scent of Scandal" and "Atmosphere, Clouds, and Climate" and more!<p>I sometimes receive books in the mail, as review copies from publishers, as gifts from far-away friends and as my personal purchases. Postage for shipping books internationally is not cheap so I think it's only fair to let you know which titles I've received this past week. Also, because I am an unapologetic bibliophile and bookworm, as well as a science/nature book reviewer, I think it's a privilege to be kept in touch with what's out there. These are the books that I may review in more depth later, either here or in print somewhere in the world. Unfortunately, since you are all so far away, I cannot host a book party in my crib where you can look over these books, I'll do the next best thing: I'll host a book party on my blog each Friday of the week when books arrive by giving you my quick &quot;first impression&quot; of them along with relevant links so you can get a copy of the book if you wish. </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/may/11/2">Continue reading...</a>ScienceZoologyBirdsWildlifeScience and natureClimate changeClimate changeFri, 11 May 2012 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/may/11/2GrrlScientist2012-05-11T13:00:00ZGlobal warming: two centuries in two minutes [video] | @GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/15/1
This disturbing video documents global warming from 1800 up through the present time<p><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6346080326_2da4da8768.jpg" width="460" height="242" /></p><p>The most important indicator of global warming is seen in changes of the land and sea surface temperature record. This approach has been criticized in several ways, including the choice of stations and the methods for correcting systematic errors. But the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature group is addressing the criticisms of former temperature analyses studies, and is preparing an open record that will allow rapid response to further criticism or suggestions. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/15/1">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeScienceClimate changeEnvironmentTue, 15 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/15/1GrrlScientist2011-11-15T08:00:00ZSurvey of American pikas in the Rocky Mountains [video] | @GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibriumhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/24/1
Sure, they're cute little animals, but why should we care about pika populations?<p>Although I think pikas look like extra-large dwarf hamsters, other people describe them as &quot;chirpy, potato-sized denizens of rocky debris in mountain ranges and high plateaus&quot;. Despite living at or above the tree line, pika populations are declining in many locations. But according to a recent survey of American pikas, <em>Ochotona princeps</em>, these small animals are holding their own in the southern Rocky Mountains of western North America. Besides being cute furry animals that appear to have inspired <em>Star Wars</em>' Ewoks, why should we care about pikas? </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/24/1">Continue reading...</a>ScienceClimate changeZoologyClimate changeWildlifeWaterAnimalsMon, 24 Oct 2011 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/24/1GrrlScientist2011-10-24T07:00:00ZWallabies and methane | @GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibriumhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/17/1
According to our favourite chemist, there's a scientific reason why people should not smoke whilst standing next to a live apatosaurus!<p>Everyone knows this: cattle are burping fart machines. The world's huge herds of pre-hamburgers, erm ... cattle ... contribute significant clouds of methane gas to the atmosphere, which in turn, makes significant contributions to global warming. But in contrast to cattle, new research shows that the gaseous emissions produced by wallabies do not contain much methane. Even though they're herbivores, wallabies' gut bacteria produce another, much less noxious, product as the result of digestion: succinate. This is an interesting discovery because it means one of several options are available to carnivorous humans: either we begin eating wallaby burgers, we can inoculate cattle with the &quot;low methane&quot; gut bacteria found in wallabies or -- even better and more environmentally-friendly -- we can stop eating so much meat! </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/17/1">Continue reading...</a>ScienceChemistryMicrobiologyBiologyAgricultureClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentMon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/oct/17/1GrrlScientist2011-10-17T07:00:00ZI'm a Climate Scientist - the hip-hop video | GrrlScientist | Punctuated Equilibriumhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jul/04/1
Frustrated by the public's lack of respect, REAL climate scientists took to the studio to record this invigorating hip-hop/rap music video<p>This is a rather invigorating song to get you going this Monday morning. Although some of you (the Americans in the crowd) have a national holiday today and probably don't need to drag yourselves out of bed early this morning and trudge off to work, am I right ... ? </p><p>This music video is fun but its purpose is to communicate an important message: climate change is real. Further, unlike the usual claptrap spouted by paid shills, conspiracy theorists and denialistas, this is a public relations message that was written by climate scientists and is about climate scientists:</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jul/04/1">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeScienceClimate changeEnvironmentMon, 04 Jul 2011 07:49:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jul/04/1GrrlScientist2011-07-04T07:49:00ZGlobal warming drives evolution of Columbian ground squirrels | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/27/1
Dr Carin Bondar explains how environmental changes affect the world around us, in particular, a ground squirrel population in Alberta, Canada<p><img align="right" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/5876498278_174a0da96c.jpg" width="230" height="356" />In this short video, Dr Carin Bondar interviews postdoctoral fellow, Dr <a href="http://wildevolution.biology.ed.ac.uk/lkruuk/jefflane.html">Jeff Lane</a> (<a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/home">University of Edinburgh</a>), to learn how environmental changes affect the world around us. In particular, she tells us about a population of Columbian ground squirrels, <em>Urocitellus (Spermophilus) columbianus</em> (pictured, image courtesy of <a href="http://martybugs.net/gallery/" rel="nofollow">Martin Pot</a> [<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported</a> license]), that live in Alberta, British Columbia, Canada. </p><p> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/27/1">Continue reading...</a>ScienceEvolutionZoologyClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentMon, 27 Jun 2011 08:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/27/1GrrlScientist2011-06-27T08:48:00ZIce cores: archives of past climate | Bess Koffman, Punctuated Equilibrium bloghttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/10/3
How do ice cores provide glimpses into past climate?<p> </p><p>We often hear strong opinions in the media about climate change. People cast themselves as &quot;believers&quot; or &quot;sceptics&quot; (although I prefer the term &quot;deniers&quot;) -- often without a clear understanding of the evidence upon which scientists base their interpretations of how the climate is changing. As a scientist who is using ice core data to study climate change, I would like to explain this fundamental research technique that underlies our understanding of our modern climate. This is part of a larger body of research that provides a detailed context for understanding the climate changes that we are seeing and experiencing today.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/10/3">Continue reading...</a>ScienceClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentFri, 10 Jun 2011 16:15:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/10/3George Steinmetz/CorbisA team of glaciologists using an solar-powered drill to make cores of ancient ice atop 6542 meter Mt. Sajama in Bolivia. Photograph: George Steinmetz/CorbisBess Koffman2011-06-10T16:15:00ZPlants and climate change – video | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/24/1
In this video from Kew Gardens, learn how global research and conservation work is helping to reclaim the future – for both people and plants<p>More than one in five of the world's plants are threatened with extinction. As an ornithologist, I was stunned to realise that plants are <em>more threatened than birds</em>! Because birds and humans rely on plants for food, clean air and water – <em>everything!</em> – I find this trend worrying. What is threatening plants? The loss of the planet's forests and other precious wild places is due to human activities such as deforestation and habitat destruction (typically referred to as &quot;development&quot;). Worse, we burn plants, too -- lots of them. One-fifth of carbon emissions come from burning plant material. Then these carbon emissions, in turn, add to global warming. </p><p><img align="right" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5754122926_39492680c0_m.jpg" width="117" height="62" />In this informative video, we meet some of the plant experts at <a href="http://www.kew.org/">The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew</a>, and learn about about the impact of climate change on the health of the world's plant life. Plants have a critical role to play in slowing the pace of climate change, and you'll see a few examples of how Kew's global science and conservation work is helping to reclaim a future for people, plants and birds: </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/24/1">Continue reading...</a>SciencePlantsClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentKew GardensTue, 24 May 2011 07:25:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/24/1Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesCrocuses in bloom on the lawns at Kew Gardens.GrrlScientist2011-05-24T07:25:00ZHow do ice cores allow researchers to see climate change? | GrrlScientisthttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/12/1
Ice sheet layers can be read like the pages of a book – if you know the language. In this video, we see how scientists are deciphering the history of Earth's climate from ice cores taken from western Antarctica<p> </p><p>Snow that is compressed into ice forms distinct layers. Ice that is old, such as glaciers and polar ice caps, contain thousands of layers. These layers in ice sheets can be read like the pages of a book – if you know the language. In this video, we see how scientists are deciphering the history of Earth's climate by analysing ice cores taken from western Antarctica.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/12/1">Continue reading...</a>ScienceClimate changeClimate changeEnvironmentThu, 12 May 2011 09:40:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/may/12/1George Steinmetz/CorbisA team of glaciologists using an solar-powered drill to make cores of ancient ice atop 6542 meter Mt. Sajama in Bolivia. Photograph: George Steinmetz/CorbisGrrlScientist2011-05-12T09:40:00Z